New Name: Clarity in Studio

Topaz Clarity has been renamed to Topaz Clarity in Studio. This change has been made to remove the unnecessary version numbers we provide with the plugin version. This will enable us to focus on the overall mission of improving the entire Topaz Labs experience, from start to finish. With this new name, we begin the journey to a more integrated, complete, and user-focused environment.

Before

Clarity v1.0.0

After

Clarity in Studio

Now inside Topaz Studio

Going forward, you will access Topaz Clarity from the Studio application. Clarity can now be accessed without a paid host editor! You can access Clarity directly from the Workflow panel:

No More Fusion Express

Say goodbye to Fusion Express! This tool has been growing long in the tooth for the last few years, and we've been well aware of its limitations. Now, Clarity users can enjoy all the robust features we've been working on in the free Studio application! To proceed with use in applications like Lightroom, please begin using the Topaz Studio entry in the Edit In menu from within Lightroom. Only the previous version of Clarity (1.0) will be accessible from the Fusion Express 2 utility.

Before

After

Can't find it?

If you do not see Topaz Studio listed in Lightroom, please follow the guidance here:

Added

Equalization Controls

One of the new controls introduced in Clarity in Studio is the Equalization setting found under the Lighting section of the Precision Contrast adjustment. The Equalization setting is a simplified version of Topaz Adjust's Regions technology, to help control lighting contrast. Here is an example of what the settings will do, when applied to a portrait image with the Shadow, Midtone, and Highlight sliders set to a value of -1.0 (Darken Image):

Click to switch panels

Color Sensitivity

The new Color Sensitivity slider controls how whites and grays in your image are impacted by color in your image. As you use a higher value with this slider, you'll find the whites and greys take on more saturation from the surrounding image. As you decrease the value of the slider, you'll see the whites and greys returning to their normal saturation values.

Using +0.75 Saturation, Blue Channel

Color Sensitivity: -1.00

Color Sensitivity: 0.00 (No Effect)

Color Sensitivity: +1.00

Original

Click to switch Color Sensitivity values

Detail

The new Detail slider helps recover detail lost from increasing the brightness of the overall image or in a specific color channel. As you use a higher Lightness value, you will lose fine details in that color or the overall image. When you increase value of this slider, you'll find the detail returning to areas that may have been blown out by the incresae in brightness. As you decrese the value of this slider, you'll see those areas get softer.

Using +0.75 Lightness, Blue Channel

Detail: -1.00

Detail: 0.00 (No Effect)

Detail: +1.00

Original

Click to switch Detail values

Suppress Artifacts

Protects from rough and unnatural edges and surfaces

The new Suppress Artifacts slider helps reduce detail-killing artifacts that are introduced in your image as you crank up saturation values in a particular channel. As you use a higher value with this slider, you'll see blocky artifact areas start to clear up as detail is reintroduced.

Click to switch Supress Artifacts values

Improvements

Faster Startup and Processing

Faster Startup

Have you ever used Clarity and wished that the software didn't have to "Prepare Previews" for you each and every time? We sure did. That's why we've changed the way Clarity renders your presets, to our new method. No longer will you have to wait for Clarity's wind-up period to end. I think we can all agree, this is great news for speeding up workflows!

Before

16 seconds

After

4 seconds

Faster Processing

Have you ever used Clarity and wished it just didn't take so long? Us, too! That's why we've changed the way Clarity processes and saves your image, leveraging the power of the Studio application. We've cut processing time in half, for most edits.

Before

8 seconds

After

4 seconds

Contrast Controls

The Micro, Low, Medium, and High sliders in the Contrast section of Precision Contrast have all been given quite the upgrade. Each range is now a bit wider, and we've taken special care to ensure there is less overlap between channels. Clarity has always been a powerful item in the Topaz toolbox, but the widening of these ranges while also controlling contrast edit overlaps has fine tuned the level of control possible. It's that much easier to get a naturally contrasty image, with fewer unpredictable results.

Wider Range

Less Overlap

Lightness Controls

The Contrast controls in Precision Contrast have been improved with this Clarity update by changing what these sliders actually affect in your image. Our previous implementation would modify the entire image, attempting to draw light out of the image. Our new implementation has better lighting detection, which allows the Shadow, Midtone, and Highlight sliders to truly only impact the lighting in your image. The result is more careful editing of the lighting in your image, making it just that much easier to get the exact look you want. Clarity is all about fine-tuned control, and these changes only add to that power!

Before

Whole Image

After

Only Light

Plugin Access

Keeping with Topaz Labs tradition, you can still launch Clarity directly as a Photoshop plug-in. However, we've moved the entry, so you know you're launching Clarity in Studio! Please note the new location:

Before

Filter → Topaz Labs → Topaz Clarity...

After

Filter → Topaz Studio → Clarity...

Can't find it?

If you do not see Clarity listed in Photoshop, please follow the guidance here:

External Editor Access

You can still launch Clarity from hosts that support external editors, like Lightroom. However, we've changed what you need to choose from that list just a bit, so you know you're launching Clarity in Studio! Please note the new location:

Before

Photo → Edit In → Topaz Fusion Express 2

After

Photo → Edit In → Topaz Studio

Can't find it?

If you do not see Topaz Studio listed in your host editor (like Lightroom), please follow the guidance here:

Keep Your Presets!

Presets/Effects you have created in Clarity 1 will be available in Clarity in Studio, once you've gone through the preset import process. The preset import can be started by selecting the Check for Updates option from the Help menu, as shown below:

Once the check for updates has completed, your presets should become available in the My Effects category.

Free Update

AS ALWAYS, the update from Clarity 1 to Clarity in Studio is 100% free! You'll need to download and install Topaz Studio to use the Clarity in Studio update. If you are just getting started with Topaz Studio, please see the How to Download section. You'll need Studio installed to claim your Adjustments that make up Clarity in Studio: Precision Contrast & HSL Color Tuning. Follow the steps below to get the update:

Confirm Ownership

Login to Studio Account

The next thing you'll need is a Topaz Studio account. If you already have a Studio account, you can simply login. Your existing Topaz Plugins Account login will not work, so if you have not created a Topaz Studio account yet, you can do so from the login page below:

Access Studio

Download and install the latest version of Topaz Studio. Click here for specific instructions. Once you've gotten Studio open with an image, and selected Clarity from the Workflow panel, you'll see the new interface!

Update Complete

Once you've logged in, the Topaz Studio application will AUTOMATICALLY check your Plugins Account page for you, and add Clarity in Studio (Precision Contrast & HSL Color Tuning) to your Topaz Studio Account. You will now have full access to Clarity in Studio

I don't own Clarity - yet!

If you do not own Clarity, you can purchase it from the Topaz Studio Web Store, or by pressing the button below to go directly to the cart: